“For those who pass it without entering, the city is one thing; it is another for those who are trapped by it and never leave. There is the city where you arrive for the first time; and there is another city which you leave never to return. Each deserves a different name"(Calvino, 1978)

Lying between dream and realism, the projects shared build upon the concepts of Surface, Air and In-Between. These all form part of the postgraduate work of architectural students in at Oxford Brookes University in the UK. The studio is deliberately called ‘Cultivating Possibilities’. In collaboration and partnership with Riwaq, we use this educational device to look at the historic centres of the West Bank, and try through responsive design proposals to imagine design possibilities that can empower the community and bring life back into their historic centres.

We see the design projects by students as a key component in our process of work alongside Riwaq. The students work offer a complementary perspective, combining the act of practice with speculation, reality with dream. The aim is to provoke critical thinking and draw attention towards layers which might be invisible yet are crucial to bring life back to historic centres. Consequently, the students are encouraged to dream, to imagine, and to go beyond the conventional. Even if their ideas could not be realised at this stage, it is crucial part of the process of collective thinking and indeed it is essential that it be put forward. On one hand, the students’ design proposals form part of the accumulating matrixes that can be later put together to greater effect, while on the other hand they help to break the isolation of thought and push the boundaries further.